


Affair to Remember

by bitsori



Category: GOT7, T-Ara
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-07-14 07:51:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16036145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitsori/pseuds/bitsori
Summary: Jiyeon is just trying to live her life, but it's hard when her reputation is tainted by her less than stellar ex boyfriend. Enter: Park Jinyoung.; AU





	Affair to Remember

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silkscream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silkscream/gifts).



> this fic is a little off in some parts, i think. maybe. perhaps. it was written almost a year ago as a present to a good friend, hence the unusual pairing. if you're actually about to read this, i hope you enjoy!

 

 

“You always date the biggest assholes.” Her brother told Jiyeon once. “It’s time for a change,” he even added, and she knew that it was meant to be well-meaning somehow, but it was said in a conversation that happened right after a particularly nasty break-up so instead of feeling the intended comfort that came with the statement, it just felt like her brother was salting a still open wound.

Jiyeon had caused a mini tantrum, even slamming her bedroom door in her brother’s face, but deep inside she was quite aware: there was no lie in Hyojun’s words at all.

  
  


-

  
  


Jiyeon is halfway through her third year in university when the relationship - or rather, her  _ affair _ , as it could be more aptly referred to, with a young associate professor from her department had begun. He was older than her by a whole zodiac cycle and then some, but she hadn’t really been considering the age when she started to be attracted to him. If anything, the fact that he was older was a big part of the appeal - to her, it made him seem more worldly and experienced.

The entire affair was (of course) conducted in secret, with only a few close friends privy to the information. They’d all cautioned her, asked her variations “are you sure you know what you’re getting into?” but she’d laughed all the warnings off. She was happy, she had insisted, and that she knew exactly what she was getting into. The entire thing had started out exciting and thrilling, and Lee Donggun was intellectually stimulating, not to mention quite knowledgeable in bed. He was everything Jiyeon wanted in a man — that’s what she’d thought at the time anyway.

But there can only be so much honesty and freedom involved in a taboo relationship that involved a thirteen year age gap and soon Jiyeon couldn’t help but start feeling like she was his dirty little secret. Paranoia kicked in and it wasn't long before exciting and thrilling became depressing and frustrating, and the next thing she knew she had been in the middle of a loud and messy break-up that involved screaming and fine Chinaware being thrown across his apartment.

Not exactly her finest, proudest moment, and Jiyeon hated herself for it.

  
  


-

  
  


When she starts her senior year in University, Jiyeon starts feeling like every corner she turns, eyes are on her. Hushed whispers stops every time she enters a room, and more than once she hears the word “slut” attached to her name, followed by murmurings of her ex boyfriend’s name.

She has no idea how anyone could have found out, but apparently it had somehow leaked that she’d been sleeping with him. They're probably both lucky gossip among students is all it ever amounts to, and no one from the administrative office seems to care about doing something about it, but that doesn't really help make her feel any better.

She doesn’t come to school for two weeks, and instead she crashes on Eunjung’s couch - the older woman, together with her girlfriend, Hyomin, both of whom were close seniors to Jiyeon, had just begun their lease on a new apartment together and Jiyeon was close enough to the two of them to invite herself over.

At first she doesn’t tell them what happened, but one night Eunjung catches her crying into her pillow and that’s when it all comes pouring out.

 

“Fuck that asshole,” Hyomin declares. She’d heard everything as well, apparently, and soon enough she was sandwiched between the two of them in a comforting hug and a part of her feels bad for imposing but at the same time, she’s happy because she knows that even after they’d graduated she can still count on them.

  
  


-

  
  


She thinks once you hit rock bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up - and that’s probably true, but what she’s wrong about is that the entire situation hasn’t exactly hit rock bottom yet. When she finally starts attending classes again, there’s even more whispering than usual every time she walks by people from the same department as her.

It’s Sunyoung, dear sweet Sunyoung, who pulls her aside, eyes filled with genuine concern, ash she fills Jiyeon in. “Donggun-ssaem - he’s getting married, apparently.”

The words hit her like a truck and for several seconds she can only stare at her friend with confusion, as if everything about her is expecting a follow up, some sort of caveat maybe - a catch, or maybe even a straight up admittance that Sunyoung had just been pulling her leg.

“I also hear that her fianceé is pregnant,” are the next words out of Sunyoung's mouth, and at that point the only thing that Jiyeon can do is allow herself to fall apart yet again in another friend’s arms the moment Sunyoung moves them to wrap around her.

  
  


-

  
  


Her stress piles up, and some days it’s hard just being at school. She pushes through, however, and she goes through the daily motions. She can’t not - it’s her last year before graduating, and her pride refuses to let her give up. After all, that mess with her ex-boyfriend had been her own doing. Everyone she knew had expressed disapproval, and in some cases even disappointment, but she’d chosen to the guy and this is where it’s gotten her.

The first time she sees her ex-boyfriend’s new wife around campus, she starts shaking and she almost has a panic attack. The woman already has a visible baby bump and she immediately starts counting months in her head.

It’s been less than half a year since her own relationship had ended, and as the math settles in, she almost screams because along with it comes the assumption that everyone around has done the same arithmetic.

It’s embarrassing, shameful and infuriating all at once but she tells herself it’s time to stop falling apart for the same guy over and over again.

 

-

  
  


“Sunbaenim! Jiyeon-sunbae!” The voice that calls out to her is both foreign and familiar at the same time. She feels wary though, because that’s been constant ever since the semester had started, but she still turns her head and there’s a guy giving her a wave from down the corridor.

Jiyeon returns the gesture tentatively and he starts approaching. It’s not until he’s flashing a grin at her from a few feet away that she manages to place a name on his person.

“Jinyoung-ah?!”

Park Jinyoung had been a dongsaeng from high school; they were in the broadcasting club together, she thinks mostly because his best friend had dragged him along to sign up and theirs was a school that required everyone to have at least one extracurricular. Jiyeon remembers him as a cute underclassman, just the right amount of friendly and respectful, but otherwise he hadn’t really crossed her mind in the years since graduating.

“Sunbaenim, I thought that was you, I saw,” he greets her again once they’re face to face. He looks quite different now, which is why she hadn’t recognised him immediately. She’s guessing that he’s finished his mandatory service because he looks more mature - more filled out, and his face is more lined with experience. “You look good,” he adds. “It’s been a while.”

A smile curves on her lips, and it’s actually genuine. She feels herself slowly relax, and she finds that it’s easy to let her guard down with him. Maybe it’s because he knew her in high school, before the mess that was the last year of her life that she assumes he knows nothing about.

The feeling, unfortunately, is short-lived. She’s only just about to open her mouth to ask him how he’s been when she spots Donggun turning the corner at the far end of the corridor. Jiyeon freezes, even missing the concerned look that Jinyoung throws her way, but then her gaze meets the older man’s and she instinctively reaches over to grab Jinyoung’s hand.

He flinches at the suddenness of the action, but this just makes Jiyeon tighten her hold on his hand, especially as Donggun actually has the gall to slow to a stop in front of them. She hates his shamelessness, which is funny, because she used to refer to it as his  _ confidence _ and it had been one of the primary traits that made her fall in love with him.

“Ssaem,” she greets with a polite bow and a forced smile. The way his eyes flicker towards her and Jinyoung’s linked hands doesn’t escape her - it gives her a little thrill, and it emboldens her enough that she shifts her hold a little to allow for her fingers to tangle together with Jinyoung’s.

“You have class with Professor Kim later, right?” For some reason Donggun is making small talk, but Jiyeon is more focused on the fact that he still even knows her schedule and which professors she has classes with.

She answers with a soft “Yes,” and this is when he turns to look at Jinyoung. She can identify the look in his eyes - scrutinizing, and a little miffed. The way he straightens up to his full height is very telling as well, and she almost wants to laugh because Donggun appears to be almost a full head taller than him.

“This is Jinyoung,” she explains. “My boyfriend.” The last two words leave her lips without much thought, and when she hears herself saying them out loud, slight panic rises up her own chest because she was dragging Jinyoung into this mess  _ and what if he denies it outright _ ? It’s not as if he owes her anything - like he’d said, it’s been years since they had last seen each other, and even then, their relationship had been nothing more than a regular senior and junior.

Still, she revels in the look of surprise that takes over his face. She thinks he might even look a little bothered, so she gathers enough composure to put a proud smile on and enough energy to squeeze Jinyoung’s hand, hoping that would be enough to convince him not to blow her cover.

“Good afternoon, sir. Are you one of noona’s teachers?” Jinyoung’s greeting is smooth and breezy, and she can’t help but shoot him a look filled with both pride and relief. He goes along with the charade so easily and seamlessly and soon, Donggun is just nodding and grunting a farewell at them.

Jiyeon waits until he’s out of sight before she lets go of Jinyoung’s hand. The look she gives him is brimming with gratefulness, and she’d hug him right then and there if she didn’t already feel quite awkward from everything that just transpired. “I’m really sorry about that,” she apologises. “But thank you.”

“I don’t know what that was all about, but you looked a little panicked, and -” He shrugs and smiles and Jiyeon’s gratefulness doubles, because even now he isn’t really prying. She tries to recall if he’s always been this accommodating, but she really couldn't remember much about him, which makes her feel bad.

“Do you want to have coffee?” She asks, feeling like she owes him now - both for not blowing her cover, and for barely being able to remember how he was back in the day. “My treat.”

  
  


-

  
  


Somehow, the story about her forbidden affair with the associate professor comes pouring out of her over drinks, and it’s strange because his initial appeal had been that he was someone who clearly had yet to hear about all the sordid rumors about her going around campus. It’s even stranger because it’s not as if they’re best friends, and even with Jiyeon’s closest friends, she’s been having a hard time articulating what she’s been feeling. They all just assume she’s hurt, maybe a little angry - and in return she can tell that they all feel pity for her, and that’s not exactly her favorite kind of emotion to receive.

Apparently, however, there’s something about Jinyoung that naturally coaxes the truth out of her even as he barely says anything. It’s because there’s something in the way he looks at her - it’s not a look that puts her up on a pedestal, but it isn’t a judging look either. He just looks at her like he’s taking in everything that she’s saying and carefully trying to piece everything together through  _ her _ perspective. That he was trying to understand her, somehow that was enough.

“He’s an asshole,” he says once she’s done with her story. “A lot of assholes can be charming, but what’s important is that you know you’re better off now.” He smiles at her, and she appreciates that his words aren’t empty comfort.

“Thank you,” She returns the smile in between taking sips of her brewed coffee.

“It’s also important that you know not all guys are like that,” he adds, his grin now more chiding like he’s trying to convey something and it makes her laugh.

“Thank you -” she repeats in between chortles. “Don’t hit on me now,” she adds, her tone just as teasing as his.

“Noona!” He laughs as if she’d just commented with the biggest joke on Earth and she almost starts to feel embarrassed. “I’m sure a lot of other guys have constantly tried, though. You’re great.”

He’s right, actually - guys are constantly chatting her up and trying to get in her pants but they all just tire her out. Apart from the fact that she simply isn't ready to start dating again after that messy business from the year before, her new status as the campus ho hasn’t helped her confidence any, and every time someone asks for her number she can’t help but wonder if they’re doing it because they think she’s an easy lay.

Jinyoung just sounds genuine, however, and the flush that spreads on her face is more about feeling flattered rather than embarrassed.

  
  


-

  
  


He’s walking her to her car in the parking lot when the craziest, probably silliest, idea pops up in her mind. Even as she thinks it, she knows she shouldn't even say it out loud - maybe she’s just high on caffeine, or maybe it’s because it’s the first time she has felt this calm and relaxed in months, but then the words are suddenly sliding off her tongue like it’s the most natural proposition ever.

“What if you keep pretending to be my boyfriend?” It makes a smidgen of sense in her head - she'd enjoyed the look of bewilderment displayed on her ex boyfriend's face whhen he'd seen her and Jinyoung together a little too much, and maybe if guys around campus saw her involved with someone nice and normal like Jinyoung they'd start to leave her alone. Hopefully they stop assuming she's the type to sleep for grades, too.

There’s a pause, and in that moment he gives her the most incredulous look and then suddenly he’s laughing loudly and uncontrollably. She groans and cups her face with both hands, feeling embarrassed warmth emanate from her cheeks.

“It was a joke!” She protests, punching him on the arm as if that was going to help him stop laughing. And it  _ was _ partly a joke.. she thinks. At least this is what she swears to herself. “Ugh,” She huffs and turns away, fumbling with her keys so she can open her car’s door.

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

Jiyeon almost drops her keys in surprise, and she half expects him to start laughing again when she turns to face him. But he’s just smiling calmly at her this time.

“You want the rumors to stop, right?” He asks, and she realises he’d known all along - or at least he’d know whatever version it is that’s spread throughout school. But he’d never shown in, and he’d accepted  _ her _ truth and she appreciates him even more for it.

  
  


-

  
  


Neither of them know exactly what fake dating entails. It’s not exactly a well thought-out plan either, and Jiyeon is still a little embarrassed (albeit grateful), that she can’t bring herself to make a bulleted list of rules and regulations.

At some point, she begins to assume that they would both just forget they’d even agreed to it, but come Monday, after her last schedule, she finds him waiting for her just outside her classroom.

“How did you know - ?” Her question is met with a knowing smile that doesn’t really provide her with any answers, and she slaps his arm for it. Jinyoung’s next movement is smooth, and before her hand can drop back to her side she finds it in his instead. This time it’s her turn to flinch and almost pull away, but he holds onto it tightly.

 

With a small nod of his head, he greets someone from behind her, and when she looks over her shoulder, it’s him again - her ex-boyfriend, and as usual their eyes meet. This time, Jiyeon holds the gaze without saying anything; Jinyoung squeezes her hand again.

“Thank you,” she whispers after. Donggun is gone now, disappeared around the corner of the halls, but Jinyoung is still holding her hand and she doesn’t make a move to pull it away.

  
  


-

  
  


Three times a week, he’d wait for her outside her last class, and they’d have a short snack before heading to the library together. Mostly Jinyoung would be reading and taking down notes, while Jiyeon  _ tries _ to do research for her graduate thesis on her laptop, even though more often than not she gets distracted by other, little things.

Mostly his face and the look of concentration he tends to wear while immersed in his studies..

“Stop staring at me,” Jinyoung tells her once after he catches her. She hadn’t realised that he’d even noticed, and she quickly looks away, almost like a little kid that was caught with their hand in the cookie jar. It’s silly, really, considering she’s the older between the two of them.

“I wasn’t,” she denies, and Jinyoung let’s out an amused chuckle.

“Noona, do your work,” he chastises her, but in a fond tone.

This kind of thing goes on for weeks, until her best friend Jieun starts questioning her if the arrangement is really still just an arrangement, and nothing more is going on.

“Of course there’s nothing,” she denies a little too quickly, which has Jieun raising eyebrows at her. "You know I'm not ready for anything," Jiyeon adds, and apart from that she doesn’t really bother explaining herself further, because right from the beginning Jieun had failed to understand why and how she’d come up with such a plan.

Granted, even she knows how ridiculous it was -  _ is _ \- but something about it must have worked because these days she feels so much better about herself. She’s stopped feeling like people are constantly whispering about her behind her back, and she gets less sleazy douchebags trying to pick her up. Best of all, she starts noticing Donggun’s presence less and less.

“It’s just your personal perception,” she can imagine Jieun telling her if she tries to explain any of this, so she doesn’t.

  
  


-

  
  


The first time he asks her to go see a movie with him, she’s surprised because one, it’s completely out of the blue and she’s gotten so used to just spending time together at the library, and two —

“You know it’s not necessary to keep up the charade outside of school,” she points out, even as she invites him into her car.

“It isn’t a charade,” he answers matter-of-factly, promptly buckling his seatbelt as soon as he settles in the passenger seat. “Is it so bad to want to spend time with a friend?”

He insists on paying for movie snacks though - a big tub of white cheddar popcorn to share, and two tall cups of soda - and declares that it’s because she drove them both to the theater anyway, which is the equivalent of her paying for commute fare. Whatever his explanation, it still makes it feel a little like a date and Jiyeon finds that she doesn’t mind that at all.

In the car after the movie, Jinyoung animatedly discusses his thoughts about the movie, which in turn makes Jiyeon feel as excited about it. It was a Marvel movie, so mostly Jiyeon had just felt excited at all the action scenes (also a little swoony because Thor is admittedly gorgeous), but Jinyoung goes as far as explaining little Easter eggs he’d noticed referenced.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” He asks, suddenly, amidst all the talk about the movie.

Jiyeon, in the middle of waxing poetic about how nice Thor’s arms are, is surprised into silence. “Huh?” It isn’t even a hard question to answer, nor should it be surprising, but it’s the earnest tone that he uses. “I am,” she answers with full honesty, and a big grin on her face.

He smiles, like he’s satisfied. “You know, you’ve looked like you needed a pick me up ever since we first ran into each other again,” he tells her, his hands lightly tapping his knees while he watches her drive. “But now your smile reaches your eyes, and it’s nice.”

Happy warmth begins to spread throughout her, and even when she tries to hold it back, the silly grin that breaks out on her face refuses to be contained.

“Let’s not go home yet,” she finds herself saying, and without waiting for an answer, she turns the the steering wheel so they can make a detour.

  
  


-

  
  


She drives him home at the end of the day - in her head she’s started to call it a date while simultaneously trying  _ not _ to call it a date. Sometimes the thoughts that run through Jiyeon’s mind are needlessly complicated, and her best friends have more than once alluded to this, but she can’t help it. This is just how her brain is wired.

“Do you want to come upstairs?” From any other guy, the question would seem loaded, but Jinyoung is Jinyoung, and she trusts him.

His apartment is tiny; it’s a studio that’s fitted for one student’s use, and it only takes about five strides to get from the door to the other end of the room. It does feel cramped, but in a cozy, lived-in manner.

A small shelf is pushed against one of the walls, opposite his bed, and numerous books are lined up and stacked on it. She finds herself gravitating towards it, and laughing when she finds one that particularly interests her.

She pulls out his high school yearbook, with a glint of mischief in her eyes. He groans when she shows him her book of choice, but he just waves a hand to show he doesn’t really mind - and it shouldn’t be a big deal, considering she knew him in high school, during more awkward stages of his life.

They sit together on the edge of his small bed as Jiyeon excitedly flips through the pages until she gets to the one she wants. “Look at your ears,” she gushes softly, pointing at his picture in the middle of the page. His hair was way shorter than how he currently wears it, and he was wearing his winter uniform, looking like the model student she remembers him to be. “What a cute boy,” she points out, reaching over to pull at his right ear, but he’s quick to grab her wrist and push her hand away.

“I’m not  _ that _ cute anymore, noona,” he points out, with a tone that she’s unable to figure out. It’s matter-of-fact, but with a slight hint of indignation, maybe? Jiyeon doesn’t know what to answer, so instead she flips through the pages some more.

“I looked funny in my high school photo,” she recalls. “My eyes looked even closer together than usual.” That’s always been an insecurity of hers; It bothers her less now, after having learned how to make good use of makeup, but when she sees pictures of herself from her youth she still gets self-conscious.

“Noona, please.” Jinyoung looks at her and laughs like she’s being ridiculous. “Everyone thought you were beautiful.  _ I _ thought you were beautiful.”

“Shut up!” The validation is nice, and she’s used to being complimented these days - she doesn’t subscribe to false humility and she’s well aware that she’s grown into her looks - but when he says it, it still feels strange. She slaps his arm lightly, and refocuses her attention on his yearbook, but he continues anyway.

“Everyone had a crush on you noona, why do you think the broadcast club was filled with guys from the lower years?” He laughs at his own words, which earns him another arm slap from Jiyeon.

“Are you telling me you had a crush on me?!” She pinches his arm, laughing to show that she’s kidding around.

“Of course I did, noona.” His tone is deadpan at first, and she’s thrown off. Her expression must look funny, because it makes him laugh, and he pats her on the head like  _ she’s _ the younger between them and he’s humoring her. “Mostly it was Jaebum - but no one really thought they had a chance with you. Guys just wanted to be around you. High school boys can be simple that way, don’t you think?”

  
  


-

  
  


A few of weeks before finals season, Jiyeon runs into Donggun when she’s alone. It’s not as if he’s been completely absent for the last few months, it’s just Jiyeon has genuinely started to fail to take notice of his presence. It’s the first time in a while that he actually stops to greet her and initially she feels panic rising up from her stomach, and then he smiles, and she realises she feels nothing at all.

“You’ve seemed happy recently,” he starts, which causes Jiyeon’s brow to knit together; she hadn’t realised that he had been paying attention at all. Maybe a month or two ago she would have cared, but now his words feel like an irritant at most.

“Life’s been good,” she answers, slowly, unfeelingly.

Yet, despite her nonchalance, he keeps the charm on, his smile unfailing. “I’m happy for you,” he says and for a split second she has the strongest urge to yell at him. But she doesn’t, because ultimately, she just doesn’t care enough anymore.

“I’m happy for myself too,” she answers, and this time she’s mirroring the smile he has on. “But I don’t really care anymore what you think about or feel for me.”

She bows at him politely after, like a normal student would in front of her professor, and then she turns on her heel, and walks away feeling better than she ever has in the last several months.

  
  


-

  
  


The night after she finishes her thesis defense, they sit together in her car while parked near the river, sharing a pizza and some sodas. Jiyeon feels ecstatic, like life can’t get any better, except there’s been a little something wedged at the back of her thoughts for a while now and now that she has no other worries, it’s starting to loosen.

She turns to look at him while chewing her food, and she can tell he notices, but he doesn’t say anything. He pretends to be ignoring her, taking his sweet time eating while staring out the front of the car. “Jinyoung-ah,” she tries to get his attention, and she watches closely as the corners of his mouth twitch. “Jinyoung!” She repeats, laughing as she pokes his arm.

“What is it, noona?” He finally turns his head to look at her, and she freezes. Suddenly, she doesn’t like what it is she has to say.

Silence fills the car for a few seconds while she sips on her drink; she takes a deep breath and smiles at him again. “I’m graduating soon—” 

“Congratulations,” he interjects, smiling and looking at her as if he’s proud, and it makes her feel warm.

“Thank you,” she accepts with a nod. “But -” She takes another pause, and another breath. “It’s time for our fake break up too, right?”

She feels uneasy, but she figures it’s the right thing to do, and the right time. Jieun has been on her case again about it recently, and she’d even been accused by her best friend of using Jinyoung. Which she hasn’t been, but she could see Jieun’s point.  _ You’re just tying him down when he could actually be dating someone who wants him, _ had been her best friend’s harsh but honest words.  _ Do  _ you _ want him? _ She’d also asked, and Jiyeon hadn’t known how to answer apart from vehemently shaking her head in denial.

She stares at Jinyoung’s face, studying his expression closely. She’s waiting for  _ something _ , she doesn’t know what, but the only thing that he does next is nod and smile as he says, “You’re right, it’s time.”

Jiyeon deflates at the response; he said the right thing, and she should have expected that because it’s  _ Jinyoung _ , but apparently his answer isn’t what she wants to hear. She keeps looking at him, as if expecting something more, something  _ else _ , but he just keeps  _ smiling _ and...

That’s it.

  
  


-

  
  


She starts seeing less of him; On one hand it makes sense because it’s finals season, and she knows he’s cooped up in the library, studying, while she’s busy taking care of everything she needs to graduate.

On the other hand - there’s no other hand. They’re not fake dating anymore, and she was the one who had made that happen, so she knows she has to accept having less of Jinyoung in her daily life as the new norm.

He still has a ready smile on his face when they run across each other in the halls, but somehow that just makes everything feel more bittersweet.

  
  


-

  
  


“You’ve been thinking too much, haven’t you?” Jieun gives her a quiet smile, and reaches over to pat her on the head. In contrast, apart from her natural response to nuzzle against her best friend’s hand, all Jiyeon can do is let out a sigh because of course Jieun is right. “Jinyoung?” She prods further, and Jiyeon looks away.

Jieun giggles and Jiyeon turns back once more so she can fix an annoyed stare at her friend, but that only makes the other girl giggle even more.

“Do you know what I’ve been giving you such a hard time about him right from the start?” Jieun prods, leaning on the table surface with her elbow and resting her face against her palm. She fixes a knowing look on Jiyeon who in turn poutily glares at her. “It’s because right from the start I could tell you were getting into something that you had no idea about.”

Jiyeon glares at her best friend even harder, because sometimes it can be annoying when Jieun implies that she knows more about life, but at the same time, it’s annoying precisely because it’s mostly the truth.

The setup had been agreed to (and suggested) on a complete whim, even she’s aware of as much. But she hadn’t realised how complicated it would be - at least on her part. The pieces slowly fit together in her head; she thinks it’s funny because if life was a movie then this would be the point where a cheesy montage plays in her head and those have always kind of annoyed her.

“Why didn’t you just tell me if you know how I was starting to feel!” Jiyeon complains in a childlike manner, while giving her best friend a hard poke on the side which makes Jieun squeak with pain.

“Yah” Jieun whines and tries to push Jiyeon’s hands away - a hard feat since Jiyeon is physically stronger than she is. “As if you would have listened to me,” she points, laughing and giving up, instead trying to poke right back at Jiyeon now. “You’re stubborn as heck! But now you really need to stop thinking so much about it and just do something because it’s getting depressing!”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” A tone of genuine confusion is heard in Jiyeon’s voice, but Jieun just rolls her eyes at her again.

“Jiyeonnie, I think you already know what you’re supposed to,” she answers, matter-of-fact and final.

  
  


-

  
  


And so it goes.

Jiyeon shows up at his apartment right after her graduation ceremony, still in her gown. Jinyoung looks confused when he opens the door and sees her, and Jiyeon assumes it’s because of her get up. Her parents and her brother had been bewildered after she’d ran out of them once she was done posing for a handful of photos, but she couldn’t help it. The anxiety had been building up inside her for a few days already, and she just wants to get it over and done with.

“Hello.” There’s a beat of silence before she’s able to get that greeting out; his face scrunches into an amused expression, and he almost looks like he wants to laugh but he still doesn’t know what to make of her standing in front of his doorstep. “I missed you,” she adds, and this time he looks like he  _ really _ wants to laugh and make some sort of retort. She’s thankful that he doesn’t.

“I missed you too,” he says instead.

There’s silence again, and they stare at each for several seconds. Jinyoung moves to the side, as if inviting her to enter, but she shakes her head for now and takes a deep breath. She’s Park Jiyeon, and she’s always been good at being straightforward so that shouldn’t change now, she thinks.

“I’m disappointed,” she begins, and his amused, but accommodating expression transforms into a perplexed one. Jiyeon giggles inwardly, because she thinks she enjoys when she has that effect on him. “I’ve been waiting and waiting and  _ waiting _ -” She continues, feeling more relaxed and confident with each word she speaks. This feels right, she thinks. “ - for you to do  _ something _ . Some big time romantic gesture that you see in the movies and -”

He opens his mouth to say something, but she interrupts him with loud laughter, the type that she only emits when she’s really feeling good. And it was stupid, because I don’t even like those movies that much!” She adds. “And anyway, I guess I asked the first time around, so there’s nothing wrong with me being the one to ask again - so here goes nothing.”

Jinyoung is looking at her blankly and she almost just wants to hug or maybe even kiss him, but she knows she needs to finish what she’s saying first.

“Park Jinyoung, will you actually, truly, for real - no faking it - date me this time around?”

He doesn’t say anything at first, and for a second she’s scared that he might have been expecting her to say something else. She gets really red in the face, totally mortified, that she can only force laughter and punch him on the arm to hide this. Maybe it isn’t too late to pretend it was all a joke, she thinks.

“What the hell was that for?!” He groans, rubbing his arm where she hit it. She finally notices that he’s only trying to reign in laughter, and he’s quickly failing at it, because soon he’s smiling so widely that the wrinkles around his eyes are showing. It makes her pout and threaten to hit him again.

“Stop threatening me,” he declares, smoothly catching her closed fist. “What was that even for!”

She huffs loudly and pretends to turn and leave, but this time he doesn’t disappoint when he reaches over to grab her hand.  _ This _ , she thinks,  _ is the kind of thing from movies she doesn’t really like, but it isn’t really that bad in real life. _

“Noona, wait, stop being dramatic,” he says as he makes her turn to face him again, and at that point she really can’t help that big grin that’s already painted on her lips.

They stare at each other and both of them are obviously at a loss on what to say next, and “Noona, can I just kiss you now?” are the next words out his mouth.

He doesn’t really have to ask twice, because it’s Jiyeon who leans in first, planting a soft, but eager kiss kiss right on his lips.

  
  
  
  


 

_ fin. _


End file.
